Home on the Range
by Q42
Summary: After finally graduating from college, Hideki Motosuwa is ready for a life of his own, starting with his long overdue marriage to Chi. But ... What will his parents think?
1. The First Day of the Rest of My Life

Home on the Range

by Q42

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After finally graduating from college, Hideki Motosuwa is ready for a life of his own, starting with his long-overdue marriage to Chi. But ...

What will his parents think?

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Chapter 1:

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

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It's hard to believe that I only moved to Tokyo four years ago. I was nineteen at the time, a real country bumpkin, the first Motosuwa ever to even attempt going to college. I lost count of how many times I thought I'd have to repeat prep school before I ever got into college, and then all the times I thought I would be expelled from college before graduation.

So, when I finally got my cap and gown, I was more surprised than anyone.

After four years in the big city, the big moment finally arrived. I sat in the stands with the rest of the class of '36, trying to keep from tapping my feet and annoying my classmates - did I mention that I have a bad habit of getting stressed under pressure?

Well, anyway, my name was eventually called, so I got up - narrowly avoiding tripping on my own gown - and made my way up to the podium. From there, everything went pretty smoothly; my class principal handed me my diploma and shook my hand. Cameras flashed, and I looked out into the auditorium. I knew my parents were somewhere in there, and I caught sight of my old prep-school buddy Shinbo and his wife, Takako - who, three years ago, was also our teacher.

And, of course, I could never forget where _she _was sitting: right up in the front row, smiling happily, waving as I came up to accept my bachelor's degree..

I guess you could say that Chi and I have had one of the longest and most ... uh ... interesting courtships in history. We met during my first year at prep school, and we've been going steady ever since. Of course, considering that Chi happens to be a persocom, we've had quite a few hurdles to overcome. When we first met, Chi had lost nearly all of her memories, so I had to teach her a lot of things - how to talk, how to walk around town, and all kinds of other simple stuff. Also, there used to be this major corporate syndicate out to get rid of Chi, but ever since they went belly-up, we haven't had any attacks from killer persocoms. At this point, our only real problems pop up when we try to help people understand that Chi is my girlfriend, not a computer.

Luckily, we've got quite a few friends who understand just how deeply in love we are, so lately, life has been pretty good. Chi's mom, Miss Hibiya, runs the apartment building where we live, and I'm convinced that ever since I got into college, she's actually been charging us a reduced rate, so I've (barely) been able to afford tuition. Chi has helped out a lot in the financial department, too; she works at a bakery downtown, run by two of our friends, Mister Ueda and his wife, Yumi, who used to be one of my co-workers at the restaurant where I worked before I got my internship. All of our friends are well aware of the fact that Chi and I are an item - in fact, Shinbo's been after me for a while now to go ahead and tie the knot.

So, just three weeks before graduation, I took Chi out to the park, and I proposed to her.

She said "Yes" without even a second's hesitation.

Then, of course, she just about snapped my neck with one of her trademark flying hugs.

Just to look at her, you wouldn't think that Chi is of marriageable age. She doesn't grow older, and when she was made, she looked about sixteen, so nowadays, she looks to be about seven years younger than me. I'm sure her mom could probably find some way to help her age artificially, but really, I doubt I'll ever ask her to unless Chi says she wants it. I love Chi for who she is as a person - for her sweet personality, her innocent smile, her insatiable curiosity and her love of life. Besides, she's plenty cute as-is; with that beautiful china-doll face, perfect petite build, that long platinum-blonde hair and those cute little persocom ears, it would be pretty hard to improve on her looks. I'd hate to ask her to get any of that changed just to appease other people's prejudices.

Which brings me to the biggest problem that I had left after graduation:

Explaining all of this to my parents.

Mom and Dad are your basic country folk; their grandparents' grandparents were farmers, and every generation since has just gone right along the same way, carrying on the family business. In fact, when I told them I wanted to go to college and start a new career, Dad really flipped out. He thought that I'd go into the big city and turn into some snotty playboy type. To my father, a break with tradition is a declaration of war on the Motosuwa name itself. Plus, when I asked him to help me pay for my education, he nearly had a heart attack.

He didn't disown me, thank God, but he came darn close.

Which isn't to say that I didn't try to stay in touch with my family. Ever since my first week of prep school, I sent home letters telling them about life in Tokyo and how well - or, sometimes, how badly - I was doing in school. The replies I got back were always nice, encouraging, and sympathetic, but given how I'd left things, I had always wondered if my family was really as gung-ho about my decision as their letters made it sound.

So, as soon as the ceremony was over and I had picked my badly-trampled cap up off the auditorium floor, I walked over to give Chi a hug, then tried to find my parents. It took about three seconds. In a room full of soft, cushy city folk, my father stood out like a bear at a dog show. Even in his rented suit and tie, you could practically smell the odor of hay and cow manure rolling off the guy.

Mom didn't look nearly as out-of-place; she wore a hand-knitted shawl and a blue ankle-length dress. Next to Dad, I guess she looks pretty tiny, but she's got a heart the size of a watermelon.

Graduation day was also the first time I'd seen my little brother since I'd left home. When I first moved out, Aki was eight years old, but now, seeing him standing just a head shorter than Mom, it made me realize how much time had passed since I'd seen my family.

As I started toward them, it was Mom who saw me first. "Hideki!" she cried, and ran over to meet me. We hugged just like always, as though I'd only been gone a day instead of four years.

Aki came next, not running, but still grinning at me. "Hey, Big Brother!" he called. We did our old secret handshake, then gave each other a pat on the back. "Man!" I said. "Aki, you're huge!" He just shrugged and said, "Don't blame me; I get it from Dad."

By this time, my father had made his way over to us, and I took a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever he might say. Was he still angry at me for leaving home? Did he approve of my major?

He just smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. "Son," he said, "I'm proud of you."

I blinked. "Huh?"

Dad just wrapped those big arms of his around me and squeezed. Now, Chi can give pretty powerful hugs, especially if she gets a running start, but a real Masao Motosuwa bear hug is like getting crushed in a trash compactor. After four years away from home, I was totally unprepared for it, and I think half the people in the auditorium heard the "WHUFF!" sound I made as all the air got pumped from my lungs.

Dad laughed as he set me down. "See?" he said good-naturedly, "I told you living in the city would make you go soft!"

"Uh ... yeah," I said. "Well, you see, Dad, most guys here in Tokyo don't walk up and try to smush you like a beer can."

Dad just laughed some more, and suddenly, all my fears seemed to melt away. _This _was what I had been dreading for the last month? A happy reunion with my family?

"Hideki?"

I turned to look behind me, and there was Chi, wearing her prettiest pink-and-white dress. Her head was tilted to one side, her usual sign for confusion. "Hideki, who is this?" she asked.

Just hearing her voice made me smile. "Oh! Hi, Chi!" I said. "Remember when I said that my family was coming today? Well, this is my dad, that's my mom, and over there is my little brother, Aki."

Chi took a second to register everything I'd just said, then she straightened up and smiled. "Pleased to meet you!" she said. "Chi has heard lots of nice things about Hideki's family."

In typical Mom fashion, my mother clapped her hands and smiled. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, too, Chi! Are you one of Hideki's classmates?"

"Uh, Mom?" Aki said, "She's not a real girl. She's a persocom. See the ears?"

I had an urge to say something to Aki about how Chi was as real as anyone, but in the end I kept quiet. Thankfully, Chi doesn't get offended about that sort of thing, and I knew that Aki didn't know any better. To my little brother, Chi was just like one of the persocoms he had seen being advertised on TV, marketed to the masses as human-shaped computers. After all, how could he - or my parents, for that matter - understand that persocoms have thoughts and feelings just like humans do?

Mom did a double-take. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Well ... ah ... it's still very nice to meet you, Chi."

Dad put his hands on his hips and looked Chi over. "Huh!" he said. "So, this is that persocom you wrote home about? The one you found in the trash?"

"Well, uh, yeah," I said, scratching my head. "She's been staying in my apartment since then."

Dad looked at Chi for another couple of seconds, then nodded in approval. "Well, it doesn't look too beat-up," he said. "I'd always assumed that it would look more ... I don't know ... mechanical, I guess." He held up one of Chi's forearms and examined it, clearly unaware of the perplexed look she was giving me. "Doesn't look like it's much good for manual labor, though." He let go of Chi, then shrugged. "Still, considering you got it for free, it's not a bad deal. I think you mentioned that it can cook?"

"Yeah, Dad. Chi can do all kinds of things. She can cook and clean and stuff, but she's also --" _my girlfriend_, I tried to say, but what came out instead was, "she's also got a job in town. While I go to classes, Chii's been working at a bakery to help pay the rent."

Dad's eyes just about popped out of his head. "Let me get this straight," he said. "There's a bakery in town - a place that needs skilled workers - and they gave a job to a _robot_?"

I had a bad feeling that I knew where this was going. "Uh, yeah," I said.

"Well, what about all the poor saps out there looking for jobs? For crying out loud, we're in the middle of a recession, and somebody chooses a household computer over a human being who needs money to _eat_? What an insensitive clod!"

I felt my teeth clench. Hiroyasu Ueda has been a close friend for years, and to hear Dad call him names that way ...

"But Dad," I said, "it's only because Chi's been working there that I've been able to afford college!"

That seemed to take some of the wind out of his sails. He thought about it for a second, then sighed. "Well, I suppose I should be glad for that much," he conceded. "But once you find a new job, I want you to promise that you'll keep your computer at home, so that that job at the bakery can go to someone who needs it."

I could feel Chi's shock from five feet away. Chi's job means a lot to her; even though she doesn't need to pay for food and she already has a good-sized wardrobe, she still likes to feel that she's contributing her fair share. To arbitrarily take that away from her would be cruel.

I should have stood up for her then and there. I should have told my father that Chi's job was hers to quit, but only if she wanted to. I should have told him that Chi was a real person, with real hopes and dreams and feelings. I should have told them all, right at that moment, that I loved her, and that we were going to be married soon.

Instead, I stalled for time. "Uh, listen, Dad, can we talk about this later? If you'd like, we could all go someplace and discuss it over dinner..."

"Actually," Mom said, "we were wondering if you wouldn't mind coming home for a few days. I'm afraid that your room isn't quite as you left it, but the guest house is empty right now, and we'd all love to have you spend some time with us." She beamed at me. "Won't it be nice to be a family again, Hideki? Even for a week?"

At that, I relaxed a bit. _A whole week? _I thought, _Great! _It would give Mom and Dad time to get to know Chi - and, hopefully, to get used to seeing her as a person, not a thing. It would also give me some time to work up the nerve to tell them about our engagement. Besides, I had been missing my family, especially Aki, for a long time, and I was really looking forward to spending some time with them again.

"That sounds great!" I said, then turned to Chi. "Chi, what do you think? Would you like to head out to my parents' place in the country?"

She looked at me with that expression of bewilderment in her eyes, then at my family, then back at me. "Chi doesn't know ... does Hideki want to go to Hideki's parents' house?"

"Well yeah, I would, but I'm asking what _you _want."

Chi put a finger to her chin for a second, looking thoughtful, and I could tell that she was still a bit shell-shocked from Dad's comment about her job. Then, a bit hesitantly, she said, "If Hideki wants to go, then Chi will go with Hideki."

I gave her the best, most reassuring smile I could muster and put a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks, Chi." Then I looked at my parents and forced a grin. "Well, I guess it's settled, then. When would you like us to come over?"

"Why, as soon as you can, of course!" said Dad with a huge smile. "We've been waiting to see you for the last four years, Son!"

"Yeah, and you should check out all the new Transformers I've got in my collection!" Aki added. "It'll be great!"

I felt my smile go from an act to a genuine grin. It _would _be great!

"Sounds good," I said. "Chi and I will probably spend the evening getting packed, but in the morning, we'll catch a train and head on over."

"Perfect!" Mom said, giving me another big hug. "Oh, Hideki, we're all so proud of you! It will be wonderful to see you again."

"Thanks, Mom. I'm glad to get to see you guys, too."

Once everything was settled, I took Chi by the hand, and as my family made their way out of the auditorium, we caught a bus back to the apartment. On the way, I could tell that Chi was still upset over what my dad had said. "Chi," I said, "is there anything I can do for you?"

She looked up at me with those big, brown eyes, and I saw that she was on the verge of crying. "Hideki," she asked me, "is it really so bad for Chi to have a job? Should Chi just stay at home now that Hideki is out of school? Does Hideki want Chi to quit?"

I put an arm around her shoulder. "Only if you want to, Chi," I replied. "If you want to stay home, or if you want to keep working, that's your choice to make."

"But Hideki's papa said that it was bad for Chi to take a job that a human could do. Shouldn't Chi do what Hideki's parents know is best?"

I sighed. "Chi ... parents don't always know what's best. Sure, my dad is older than me, and he knows more about some things than I do, but he's still only human. To be honest, I'm not sure he even knows that persocoms have real feelings, let alone how you feel about going to work."

"Hideki's papa doesn't know things that Hideki knows? But didn't Hideki's papa teach Hideki everything that Hideki knows?"

"Not really. I mean, remember when you figured out how to swim when I almost drowned? Sometimes, people just learn things from their own experiences, not from other people teaching them. Because I've spent time getting to know who you are, I know that you're a real person, persocom or not. But my Dad hasn't had that kind of experience with persocoms, so this week, I've got to try and convince him that you're not just some machine. Then we can tell my family about the wedding."

Comprehension dawned. "Is that why Hideki is going to spend time with Hideki's family? To help Hideki's family like Chi, too?"

I had to smile. Chi may talk like a three-year-old at times, but she's smarter than a lot of humans I know. "Yeah, Chi, that's why we're going. This way, my family can get to know you, so they won't mind when you and I get married."

Chi's eyes lit up. "Oh, Hideki, thank you!" She threw her arms around me and gave me a big, mushy kiss. "Now Chi is looking forward to spending time with Hideki's family!" I returned the kiss and hugged her back, ignoring all the other passengers who were staring at us.

_This is going to work out perfectly, _I thought to myself. _Chi likes meeting new people, so she'll have a great time. My parents will love Chi once they get to know her, and we'll all have a wonderful week together. Then, when I tell them Chi and I are getting married, they'll all be okay with it, and everyone will be happy.._

Unfortunately, as I was going to find out very soon, I had no idea what I had just gotten us into.

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	2. Coming Home Again

Chapter 2:

Coming Home Again

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The next morning, we took the first train ride of Chi's life. At first, I had been afraid that Chi would spend the trip worrying about how my parents would handle our engagement - I was a nervous wreck, myself - but once we got into the train station, Chi was having the time of her life. She looked around at everything - the high ceilings, the crowds of humans and persocoms, the dozens of shops crammed into the terminal. Luckily, we had some time between when we got our tickets to the time our train arrived, so we just spent a half-hour looking around.

I have to admit, when I first came to Tokyo, I had been more focused on finding my apartment than on the station itself. Chi, though, loves to explore and learn, so she had a wonderful time walking along, taking in the sights and asking questions. When I couldn't tell her all the details she was looking for - why the building was so big when only one floor of it was used, for instance - there was a small information kiosk with a persocom who was physically connected to the station's mainframe. I don't think she was used to answering so many questions from a single person, but after a while, she and Chi were chatting like old friends. I think I learned more about public transportation that day than in the four years I'd spent living in Tokyo.

Once we started the train ride, Chi was practically glued to the window, peeling herself away just long enough to ask, "Hideki, what is that?" every couple of seconds. I'm sure I must have been grinning like a fool; the way Chi can take something as simple as a tree or a picket fence and make it seem fresh, new and exciting has always been amazing to me. She may not have been programmed with a ton of information like most persocoms, but she's an incredibly fast learner, and whenever she discovers something new, she never takes it for granted. She's got the innocence and the inquisitive nature of a child, but she's also incredibly mature.

I guess that's part of the reason I fell in love with her.

After about an hour, we got off at our stop. I ran into the station to give my folks a call, then came back out and sat on the bench with Chi.

"Hideki's home-town is so ... _empty_," she said, looking around at the tiny cluster of shops and buildings that made up Main Street.

I shrugged. "Well, this isn't a big city like Tokyo, Chi. Most of the people around here live out on their farms, so the town itself is pretty small."

Chi moved closer and put her head on my shoulder. "Chi misses Chi and Hideki's home in Tokyo. Chi and Hideki's home has lots of people very close." She looked up at me. "Chi knows it will only be for a week, but Chi is starting to miss home."

I put an arm around her waist and gave Chi a kiss on the forehead. "I know, Chi," I said. "To be honest, I'm feeling pretty nervous, too. But I just wouldn't feel right if we got married without telling my parents first."

She smiled up at me. "Chi knows," she replied. "And Chi is glad Hideki loves Hideki's parents so much. That's why Chi wanted to come with Hideki."

I could feel tears coming. "Thanks, Chi," I said. I held her a bit tighter, and Chi snuggled up closer. "Chiii..." she sighed, and for one brief moment, we were both content.

Then I saw my parents' beat-up old pickup rolling up the street, and I had to let go of Chi and pick up our bags. Dad pulled up to the curb, dressed in his usual button-down shirt, overalls and workboots rather than a rented suit. "'Morning!" he called out. "You ready, Hideki?"

"Yeah, Dad! Just a sec." I struggled to carry our three suitcases over to the truck and tossed them into the back. Then, when I came around to the passenger seat, I realized that we had a problem. With my father on the right side, Chi on the other, and the gearshift in the middle, there was no room for me! "Er ... okay," I said, "I guess I'll ride in the back."

Dad gave a big, hearty laugh. "Nonsense!" he said. "We can just tie down your little computer here. It won't get broken from a little jostling, will it?"

I'm not sure I could have felt much more horrified if Dad had suggested that we strip myfiancee naked and drag her behind the truck. "No way!" I exclaimed. "I'm not doing that to Chi! Besides, it's not like I've never done it before."

Dad looked at me for a long couple of seconds, and I started to worry that I had just tipped my hand. Then he shrugged. "Suit yourself, " he said. "Just don't start whining when we get home about how your butt's aching."

I let out a big breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. "Thanks, Dad," I said, then climbed up into the truck bed. The ride home wasn't too bad, really; the main roads were paved, and it was only when we hit the long driveway leading up to the house that I started getting bumped around. Not that I had thought Chi would get physically damaged. I just know that she would have hated being tied down in the back like a piece of luggage. She works hard not to act upset when people mistake her for a machine, but Chi doesn't like being treated like one, either.

We finally got home, and I hopped down as Chi and my father got out of the truck. Trying not to look too uncomfortable from my sore back end, I walked over to Chi. "How was the ride?" I asked, trying to keep the worry out of my voice.

Chi's smile was beautiful. "Chi had a wonderful time!" she said, throwing her arms around me. "Hideki's papa was very nice and very, very funny!"

"Yeah," Dad commented as he came around the back of the truck, "Your persocom here was asking me about a thousand questions on the way down. I thought these things were supposed to be smar--?" He stopped in mid-sentence, and I realized what he must have been seeing: Me, with my arms around what he thought was a computer, and the computer hanging onto me and smiling.

I think he was about to say something when the front door opened, and Mom and Aki came out to meet us. "Welcome home, Hideki!" said Mom, giving me a big hug.

"Hey, you made it!" Aki said, and came over to welcome me, too. In typical Chi fashion, when she saw other people hugging me, Chi joined in and grabbed me around the waist.

"Ack! Can't ... breathe ... !" I croaked, and everyone let go, looking a little embarassed as I worked to refill my lungs. Then I smiled at them. "Thanks, guys," I said. "It's good to be home."

Mom smiled back. "Well, now that you're here, we have lunch ready. After spending all morning traveling, you must be starving."

As if on cue, my stomach gave a low rumble. "That sounds great!" I said. "Let me just unload our stuff, and I'll be right in. Chi, do you want to meet me inside?"

"Chi," she replied, and followed Mom and Aki into the house. Just before the door shut, I heard my little brother say, "So, you're Hideki's persocom, huh?"

"Chi is Chi!" she replied cheerfully, and I smiled. Yes, Chi is Chi, and I love her with all my heart.

As I started gathering up our suitcases, I felt a big hand on my shoulder. "Son?"

I felt myself break out in a cold sweat. "Uh, yeah, Dad?" I said as casually as I could.

"What was that back there? I saw you holding that computer like you were ... I don't know." He locked his eyes on mine, boring into me like a pair of laser beams. "You didn't go and order one of those love doll things, did you?"

I sighed with relief. "No, Dad, Chi's not like that. She ... well ... she doesn't have ... you know ... "

Dad raised an eyebrow. "Are you being honest with me?"

My gut started untying itself out of a knot. I knew I'd have to come out and tell him how I felt about Chi sooner than later, and there was no way I was going to lie to my own father, but for the moment, I could give Dad a truthful answer that he would accept. "Yeah, Dad. Actually, Chi's got ... well ... kind of a reset switch down there. If I even tried ... _that _... with her, it would be really bad."

He seemed to relax a bit at that, but I could tell that he wasn't entirely convinced. "A reset switch, huh? Well ... I'll buy that for now, anyway." Then he leaned down and whispered, "Just don't let your mother catch you holding it like that, all right? She's still sore about how I used to pick up all those magazines for you at the drugstore, for crying out loud!"

I sighed. I hated the fact that Dad probably thought Chi was some kind of love doll, but I also knew that I wasn't ready to explain everything to him just yet. Heck, if I told him that I was going to marry Chi then, he'd probably throw even more of a fit than when I'd left for college. "Okay," was all I said.

"Whew!" Dad exclaimed, wiping his forehead. "Glad we got that settled." So saying, he picked up two of the bags, and we headed over to drop them off at the guest house.

_Well, that was a lousy start_, I thought. _Now, how the heck do I tell him the _whole _truth?_

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	3. Chi Wants

Chapter 3:

Chi Wants

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Chi is a great cook. I mean it, she really is. She may not be able to eat or taste food, but she sure knows how to put together a good meal.

Still, I had forgotten just how good farm-fresh steak and a baked potato can be. "Mm! Thiffishdewishush!" I said, which would have translated to, "Mm! This is delicious!" if my mouth wasn't full of Mom's home cooking. Mom, Dad and Aki got a kick out of my gobbledegook, and Chi smiled warmly at me as I finished.

"Whoa! Boy, that was great! Thanks for the welcome-home lunch, you guys."

"Not a problem," Dad replied, polishing off his glass of milk. "Heck, if it'll make you consider coming home more often, we'll make you a banquet every night."

"Masao!" Mom whined half-jokingly, "If Hideki takes you up on that, I'm making you figure out how to put together the desserts!"

My dad shrugged a little sheepishly -- he may be big and strong, but he can't cook worth beans, hence why Mom has always been the undisputed Queen of the Kitchen.

"All right! Uncle!" he said, then turned to me. "Son, I'm sorry, but by Her Highness's decree, you'll still be eating the same gruel as the rest of us."

Everyone laughed at that - well, everyone except Chi, who could only watch from her seat beside me, her head cocked to one side, a look on her face that clearly said, _Hideki, what just happened? Was something funny? Should I be laughing, too? _I felt a bit sorry for her; here I was, laughing it up with my family, and Chi could only sit there without so much as a plate in front of her, probably feeling like an outcast.

As the chuckes died down, I tried to find a way to include my fiancee in the conversation. "Hey, speaking of desserts, Mom, Chi is a pretty good pastry chef. You remember how I told you she has a job at the bakery?"

I heard Mom say "Yes," but what really caught my attention was how Chi's face lit up as we finally arrived at a topic that she could contribute to.

At first, Mom seemed a little uncomfortable addressing Chi, but pretty soon, Chi and my mother were having a fun, animated discussion about everything having to do with European desserts, from apple danishes to lemon meringue pies. At some point, they even started talking about simple, everyday things, like how the Uedas were planning to buy a new house in the suburbs, and how Takako had finally landed her dream job as an elementary school teacher.

Just watching the two of them together, having a normal conversation, made me feel like a hot-air balloon; I think I might have floated up through the roof if I wasn't so full from lunch. That Chi could feel like a part of the family, and that my mother could at least talk to her like a normal person, gave me hope for the rest of the week. Aki was staring at them, a look of sheer amazement on his face, watching what he had thought was a computer holding up her own end of a conversation, smiling and laughing. Even Dad looked amused as he watched Mom and Chi go back and forth, just two women catching up on the latest gossip.

_If we can keep this up_, I thought, _then maybe by Friday ..._

Then Chi looked away from my mother, looking suddenly concerned. "Mrs. Motosuwa, what was that noise?"

With everyone quiet, the sound came again, and I recognized it in a second: the lowing of some very unhappy cattle.

Dad smacked his forehead. "Oh, damn, I forgot! I haven't milked the cows all day!"

"The cows sound hurt," Chi said. "Does not milking the cows hurt them?"

I tried to explain. "Well, you see, Chi, the cows we have here are all milk cows. They make milk, then store it up in these things called udders, so that when people milk them, they can just squirt it out. But if they don't get milked, the udders get too full and it hurts. It's kind of like how humans get a stomach ache if they get too full. See?"

Chi nodded. "Chi understands. Chi wants to help milk the cows so that they don't hurt any more."

Dad got up from his chair. "Well, like they say, the more the merrier. Hideki, why don't you go up to the linen closet and get some work clothes for you and your computer here? Aki, you help your mother with the dishes, then come out to the barn when you're finished."

"Okay, Dad," Aki said, and bent over to help Mom clear off the lunch dishes. Meanwhile, I led Chi upstairs and opened up the hall closet, pulling out some denim overalls, a long-sleeved wool shirt, and a pair of boots which looked like they belonged to Mom. "Here, Chi," I said. "Try these on."

"Chi," she said with a nod, and headed for the bathroom. I pulled out some clothes for myself - why I hadn't thought to bring some from home, I don't know - and waited for Chi to finish. When she came out, though, I realized that I hadn't quite gotten the size right; my mother may not be a plus-size, but compared to Chi, she's a giantess, and the clothes hung off my fiancee.

"Hideki?" she said as the shirt's collar dipped down, giving me a very clear view of her chest, "Chi thinks we need to find a smaller outfit."

I blushed. "Er, yeah, I think you're right, Chi." I went back into the closet, rummaged around for another minute or so, and came out with a boy-sized set of clothes which - I hoped - Aki had outgrown. "How's this?" I asked. Chi shrugged and went back into the bathroom, reemerging a moment later in a much better-fitting outfit. The shirt was a bit tight across her chest, but at least she wouldn't give Dad (or, God forbid, my little brother!) a straight view down her cleavage when she leaned over.

"Hey, that's great, Chi!" I said. "You look like a real farm girl."

Chi gave me one of her joyful, radiant smiles. "Chi!" she said happily, and I gave her a quick peck on the cheek as I went in to change.

When Chi and I came back downstairs, Dad had already gone, so we crossed the driveway and headed over to the dairy barn. Inside, we found Dad on his knees, milking one of about twenty perturbed-looking cows, all of which were making a racket as they tried to get our attention.

"About time!" Dad grunted. "Hideki, you and your robot take that first cow on the left and work your way down that side. I'll start on the right side, and when Aki comes out, just send him over to me."

"Got it," I said, grabbing a bucket and leading Chi over to our first "patient". "Now, Chi," I said, "milking a cow is pretty easy. You just keep tugging on the teats, and the milk comes out. You do that for all the teats, then when they all stop giving milk, you go on to the next cow." I gave a tug to demonstrate, and out came a stream of fresh milk.

"Chi milks the cow by tugging? Like this?" Chi gave it a try, and brought forth her own jet of milk - only this time, because some of the stream hit the side of the bucket, she got a splash of warm white stuff on her face as well. Chi fell back, giggling, then turned to me. "Milking the cow is just like milking Hideki!"

I think my face went a deep shade of red, and I could only pray that Dad hadn't overheard. "Uh, not really, Chi. See, all these cows are _girl _cows, so their teats aren't the same as ... well, you know. _That_. They're more like your ... um ... er ..." I took a deep breath. "They're like those," I finally said, pointing to her chest.

"Chi?" Chi cocked her head to one side, then pulled on the collar of her shirt and looked down. "But Hideki, Chi's chest doesn't make milk. Do human girls make milk, or do only cows do that?"

By now, my face had gone through red and maroon, and was now on its way to royal purple. "Er, um, yes, Chi, human girls make milk like cows. It's for feeding babies. Can we talk about this later? And please don't show your chest around my Dad!"

Chi just sat there, looking sad. "Cows make milk ... and humans make milk ... but Chi doesn't make milk."

My raging libido suddenly died as I realized what Chi was thinking. "Oh, Chi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"What's that?" Dad called. "Hideki, quit messing around with your computer and get a move on!"

"Sorry! Just a sec," I said, then whispered, "Chi, we're gonna have to talk about this later. Do you think you can milk a couple of these cows by yourself?" She nodded and began squeezing out milk like a pro while I went a few stalls further down and started on another cow. Eventually, Aki came in, and after a little while, we all came out of the barn, covered with dirt and hauling four buckets of milk apiece.

-----

Once we'd gotten the milk tucked safely in the fridge, Chi and I went over to the guest house to clean up and get unpacked before dinner. Luckily, Chi is waterproof, so she took a nice, long shower while I started moving our stuff from the suitcases into the dresser in our bedroom. After a little while, she came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. "Hi, Chi," I said. "Your clothes are in the top drawer."

"Thanks, Hideki," she said. She walked over to the dresser, but stopped and looked at me. "Hideki, since it's 'later', can Chi and Hideki talk for a bit?"

I remembered what had happened in the dairy barn and nodded. "Sure, Chi. Do you want to sit down?"

"Chi," she said, and we both took a seat on the bed.

"Hideki, Chi has been thinking about some things for a while, but ever since Hideki proposed to Chi, Chi feels like those things are more important now."

"What kinds of things?"

Chi was quiet for a bit. "Chi has always known that Chi ... can't do certain things, even though Chi wants to. Some things Chi knows that Mama can fix, especially if Chi and Hideki get married - Mama can help Chi look Hideki's age, and maybe Mama can even give Chi the parts so that Chi and Hideki can ... can be one."

I stared at Chi. "You .. you would ask her to do those things?"

She just smiled at me. "Of course. Hideki works hard not to bring it up, but Chi knows there are some things that Hideki wants, even if Hideki is too nice to ask."

I chuckled. "Chi, you know me way too well. Of course, I think you're still pretty good-looking even as a sixteen-year-old."

Chi's smile brightened for a moment, then her expression darkened as she looked away. "But ... even if Mama helps Chi with those things, there are still some things that Chi will never do because Chi isn't human. Chi is still a persocom. Chi can never have ..."

Now I had a feeling I knew what was on Chi's mind. "What don't you think you can have?" I asked softly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Chi looked back at me, and as I looked into those deep brown eyes of hers, I felt like I was drowning in two bottomless pools of sadness. Then she bowed her head, and said, almost in a whisper:

"Chi will never have children."

How do you respond to something like that?

Ever since Chi and I realized that we were in love, we'd known that there would be challenges. I had pretty much shrugged them off - I loved Chi for who she was, not just for what she could do. Yes, I'd probably stay a virgin unless Chi actually asked her mother to remove her reset switch, but it had never really bothered me. I'd also expected that things would get awkward as I kept getting older and Chi stayed as young as when she was first made. Even the fact that we couldn't have kids was fine with me - sure, I'd always wanted to be a father, but if that was the price for staying with the woman I loved, it was a very small price to pay.

Every time Chi had asked if I was happy with her, even despite those problems, I'd just smile and say yes, and it was always the truth. As long as I could be together with Chi, the rest just didn't seem to matter.

It had never really occurred to me that Chi might want those things for herself.

"I ... I ... Chi, I don't ..."

She looked up at me, tears running down her cheeks. "Hideki ... maybe it's a mistake for Hideki to marry Chi. If Chi and Hideki are married, Hideki can never be together with anyone else. If Hideki married a human woman, Hideki could have children, even though Chi can't. Hideki could have a different someone special ... someone who could do all the things Chi can't ... and Hideki would be happier."

I tried to come up with something - _anything _- that might help her feel better, but I was totally at a loss.

So, instead, I wrapped my arms around Chi and held her close. "Chi ... I could never be happy with anyone but you. Remember when you told me that I was your only person? How I was the one just for you?"

"Chi?" she said, still looking down.

I lifted her chin so that our eyes met. "Well, Chi, I feel the same way about you. You're _my _only person. I wish there was some way I could help you feel better ... something I could do to give you what you want. But ... well ... I may be a human, but there are some things _I _can't do, either."

"Hideki ... " She stared at me with a mix of sadness, shock and ... could that be ... relief? Then she crushed herself to me and started sobbing. "Chi loves Hideki so much!" she cried into my shoulder. I stroked her long golden hair, holding her tight, trying to help her feel how much I loved her, as though, somehow, I could fill that empty place I hadn't even known Chi had inside her heart.

"I love you, too, Chi," I whispered. "God, I love you, too..."

The next morning, when Mom asked why I had missed dinner, I told her that I'd been too worn out after milking the cows. Dad had just laughed it off, and Aki had called me names like "wimp" and "wienie" in that sweet yet embarassing way that only little brothers can pull off. Still, I didn't regret spending the night talking with my fiancee for a second. So what if I went hungry for one night?

Some things are just more important.

-----

Many, many thanks to Kikyana Kes for editing and proofreading the first draft. Thank you so much for reading and critiquing every chapter of this fanfic, and for helping make this story the best it can be!

--Q42


	4. Brothers

Chapter 4:

Brothers

-----

Two more days flew by. After that first evening, Chi seemed to have more-or-less recovered from her angst about being a persocom. Actually, I think our talk helped settle some things that had been bothering her for a while; for the next couple of days, Chi was all smiles, and I did my best to stay by her side as much as possible.

Almost immediately, Chi and my mother hit it off. Ever since their first conversation, I think Mom had known Chi was more than just a PDA with a pretty face, although she still didn't have any idea just what kind of relationship had developed between us. p>

In fact, on Tuesday, Mom made a trip to the grocery store in town, then asked Chi to help her make dinner. When Dad, Aki and I came in, we were in for a real treat: Mom had made this great stir-fry on a bed of salad, and Chi had put together some of her very best desserts. It was probably the best meal I've ever had, before or since - partly because it just tasted good, but mostly because it had been prepared by both my mother and my fiancee, with heaping helpings of love from each.

Dad, of course, was my biggest concern. During our initial talk when I first arrived, I knew I had left the impression in his mind that Chi was just a machine that I was using - I hadn't had the guts to tell him otherwise. Worse, my father has never really trusted automation. I guess, having seen self-guided tractors and robotic farmhands taking jobs away from farmers like himself, it makes sense that he had developed a kind of prejudice towards robots, persocoms, and unfortunately, Chi. I think that, when he let me bring Chi out to help with our chores, he was only humoring me, expecting that when I found a "real" girl, I'd just go back to using Chi as a personal computer.

At some point soon, I was going to have to face my father and tell him about my engagement to Chi.

I was dreading it more every day.

As it turned out, it was Aki that I told first. Ever since we were kids, Aki has had a kind of fascination with machines - Mister Kuwashima, the manager of the little grocery store in town, always orders one of each new Transformers toy as it comes out, then holds them until Mom or Dad come down for their weekly shopping trip. Aki has always used about half of his allowance to pay for his toy-collecting habit, saving the rest for "big" purchases, like his XBox S9 and the secondhand PC in his room.

I guess it was only natural that, when Chi and I arrived, Aki took every chance he could to talk to her. At first, I think he was more interested in what Chi could do - the only persocoms he had ever seen were the ones in TV ads, and to him, having Chi around was like a chance to see his big brother's Ferrari.

Two days after we arrived, Aki asked if Chi and I wanted to play a game of chess. I jumped at the chance, of course. Before I'd left, Aki and I had been like two sides of the same coin - one a little more scuffed up than the other, but still, we'd been close. I'd been a little worried that Aki would resent my going off to school and leaving him alone with our parents, but obviously, I shouldn't have worried. Whatever happened, we'd always be brothers.

Chi just smiled and followed us up to Aki's room. Once he opened the door, I realized that he hadn't been kidding when he'd told me his collection had grown; the bunch of trucks, cars, jets and robots that had taken up one set of bookshelves when I'd left home had expanded to fill three sets of shelves and about half of his bedroom closet. One big red-and-blue figure was even standing heroically on top of his computer monitor, as if to say, "I claim this land in the name of small, plastic robots everywhere!"

Yep, same old Aki.

While Chi and I were looking around at the clutter, Aki dug out a chessboard. "Okay!" he said. "Ready to play?"

I cracked my knuckles. "Only if you're ready to get beat!"

"Hey, Chi," Aki asked, "do you want to play in the first round, or do you want to play the winner?"

Chi just held up a green-and-silver jet. "Aki, why is this plane so small? Hideki says that planes are for carrying people, but this plane is too small to carry anyone, even Sumomo."

"'Sumomo'?"

"Oh," I said, "my friend, Shinbo, has this little mobile persocom. Whenever he and his wife drop by, Chi and Sumomo usually hang out together. She's kind of ... well, scatterbrained, I guess, but she's still a good friend."

Aki smiled. "Neat. I guess even persocoms need friends, right?"

"Chi!"

"Chi, can I see that jet for a second?"

Chi handed my brother the little plane, and in the space of ten seconds, Aki had turned it into a eight-inch winged action figure shaped like a young woman. Chi's eyes lit up. "Chi! The plane doesn't carry persocoms - the plane _is _a persocom!"

Aki smiled, handing the toy back so that Chi could look it over. "Not really. Slipstream is just a toy; she doesn't have any electronics inside or anything. She doesn't move on her own like a persocom. You have to move her pieces around by hand, then use your imagination and pretend that she's a real character."

"Slipstream can't move?" Chi looked thoughtful for a second. "When Hideki found Chi in the garbage, Chi couldn't move, either." She smiled hopefully up at Aki. "But when Hideki touched Chi, Chi could move and think and feel!" At this, Chi reached down and, to my horror, stuck her little finger right between "Slipstream"'s plastic thighs. Of course, nothing happened, and while Aki and I looked on with gaping mouths, Chi's brow furrowed for a moment, then she tried again. After another couple of seconds, Chi looked up, a sad look on her face. "Aki, is Slipstream broken? Is that why Slipstream isn't moving, even when Chi touches her switch?"

"I ... well ... no, she's not broken. Like I said, she's not real. She just wasn't made to move or think or ... well, you know."

Chi looked at the little action figure, with its fixed plastic smile and a body that could never carry it anywhere. Then, even faster than Aki had, Chi rearranged the figure back into a jet, then handed it to Aki with a smile. "Slipstream looks nice, but Chi is very happy to be real."

I smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Believe me, Chi, I'm glad you're real, too."

Aki looked at me, then at Chi, then back again, smiling mischieviously. "Oh, man! Hideki, you'd better not let Dad catch you hugging her like that. I mean, it's as if you're in love with your persocom or something."

I took a deep breath. Part of me wanted to say something easy and inoffensive that would get me off the hook, the way I'd done with Dad, but I suddenly realized that the time had come to start being honest with my family. I looked at Chi, and she looked back at me, a questioning look in her deep brown eyes.

If I could lie to my own brother, with Chi sitting right next to me, then I didn't deserve her.

"Uh ... actually, Aki, Chi isn't _my _persocom. I found her in a trash pile, and we've been sharing an apartment for a while, but I don't own her. And ... well, can you keep a secret for a while?"

Aki just gave me a blank look. "Um, sure, I guess."

"Well, you're right - Chi and I _are _in love. In fact, that's the big reason we came out here. I mean, I've been dying to see you since I left, and I'm glad that we're getting to spend some time as a family again, but I also wanted you, Mom and Dad to get to know Chi, because, well ... "

I could feel sweat start trickling down my forehead. _Come on, Motosuwa, you can do it! For crying out loud, you're a man now! Act like it!_

"Chi and I are getting married."

I don't know what I had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't for my brother to burst out laughing. "Ha! 'I married a persocom'! That's a good one! Hey, don't worry, you may be the world's biggest pervert, but even I know you're not one of those persocom nuts who marries his computer!"

"'One of those persocom nuts'? Hey, Chi is the nicest girl I've ever met, persocom or otherwise, and we're already engaged!"

Aki just bawled harder.

"I mean it! Aki, c'mon, I just poured my heart out to you! I'm serious!"

Finally, my little brother got himself back under control. He looked at me, then at Chi, then back again. "Uh, you're kidding, right?"

"Nope."

"You're serious?"

"Er, yeah."

Before Aki could ask me anything else - probably something along the lines of, "Are you out of your mind?" - Chi came to the rescue. "Aki, Hideki proposed to Chi three weeks ago. Hideki loves Chi, and Chi loves Hideki, too. That's why Chi and Hideki are getting married."

Aki blinked. "Whoa. Hold on. _You're _in love with _him_?"

"Chi!"

"But ... but that's impossible! I mean, you're a persocom. Persocoms just follow their programming; they don't have real feelings. Hideki, did you tell her to say stuff like that?"

Chi shook her head. "Chi loves Hideki because Hideki is nice. Hideki saved Chi from the garbage. Hideki brought Chi home and gave Chi a name and taught Chi to be real. Being with Hideki makes Chi very, very happy, and when Chi and Hideki are married, that means Chi and Hideki can be together forever!"

Aki stared at us for a while. Finally, he looked straight at Chi. "You're serious? You actually feel love and stuff?"

"Chi."

"Actually, Aki, all persocoms can," I said. "It's ... well, it's kind of complicated, but Chi was actually the one who fell in love with me first, before I had even figured out how I felt about her. I mean, you've seen how she smiles, right?"

"Yeah, but I figured she was just following a program or something ... "

"Nope."

Aki leaned back in his chair. "Whoa," he said. "Just ... whoa! So, you're saying that persocoms are _humans_, but people still sell them?"

"Well ... I wouldn't say that persocoms are totally human - heck, Chi and I had a long talk the other night about that." I gave Chi a look, and she smiled back at me. "But they're definitely people, and from what I can tell, most of them are pretty decent folks."

Aki looked thoughtful for a few seconds. Finally, he spoke. "You know Dad's gonna have a fit when you tell him, right? I mean, you know his thing about robots?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I know, but Chi and I have been dating for a while, and I know she's the only woman for me, persocom or not." I put my foot up on the table, my face set in a determination. "I'm going to marry Chi, and if anyone doesn't like it, then tough!"

"Uh, Hideki? You just messed up the board."

I looked down, realizing that my "heroic" stance had knocked half the chess pieces over. For crying out loud, why do I have to do this kind of stuff when I'm excited? "Um, sorry, Aki."

"Heh heh. You always were a wierdo."

"Hey!" I said, reaching over and shaking him playfully by the collar. "You'd better take that back!"

"No way!"

"Take it back!" I said, giving him a fierce noogie.

"Nevah!" he cried in his best movie-villain voice and laughing.

Eventually, Aki broke free and started a wild chase around his room. Chi looked on and giggled at the two of us, then joined in with a happy "Chiii!", until all three of us wound up on the floor, laughing like crazy. We never did get around to that game of chess, but in the end, it didn't really matter. I was just glad to have finally told my brother the truth, and that he understood. I knew that Mom and Dad weren't going to be quite as thrilled about the decision Chi and I had made, but at that moment, I was just happy to be spending time with two of the most important people in my life, with no secrets between us.

-----


	5. Real Enough to Cry

Chapter 5:

Real Enough to Cry

-----

That night, I decided that I would tell my parents the truth. After Aki had given Chi and me his support, I felt as though a huge burden had been lifted off my shoulders. My anxiety had faded a little, and I realized that it would be better to tell Mom and Dad now, with my confidence high from talking with my brother, than to wait until later, when I'd probably be more insecure.

Besides, it had taken me months of living in the same apartment to realize that Chi was a real person; if I didn't tell them, how could I expect Mom and Dad to realize the same thing in just a week?

So that evening, Chi and I got dressed in our best clothes. I considered packing our bags in case things got really ugly, but Chi talked me out of it. "Shimbo and Takako always say to think positive. If Hideki and Chi try to plan for bad things, isn't that thinking negative?"

I sighed. "You're right. I guess I'm just a little nervous. I just wish I knew how to be ready for what's going to happen tonight."

Chi held onto my arm. "Hideki, don't worry. Everything will be all right. As long as Hideki and Chi are together, everything always is."

I smiled, patting Chi's head. "Thanks, Chi. You're right; I know that, no matter what, things are going to be okay eventually. I love you, and my family and I all love each other. I just hope that Dad doesn't make me go another four years before talking to me again."

"Chi wants Hideki's parents to be happy, too. Hideki's family is so nice. Chi wants to be able to spend more time with Aki, and with Hideki's mama and papa."

I smiled. If Mom and Dad could have heard Chi say that, and had known how much she really meant it, I had a feeling that she might have solved a big part of our dilemma. "Thanks, Chi." I turned and put my arms around her waist as Chi and I gave each other one last, long kiss before leaving the guest house.

When we got to the dinner table, Dad chuckled when he saw me. "Nice outfit! What's the occasion, son?"

I tried to talk past the lump that had suddenly swelled up in my throat. "Uh, well, there's something I've been waiting to tell all of you, and I thought that this would be a good time to say it."

Chi smiled at me, and I could see Aki trying to hide a grin as he realized what I was about to do. My mom and dad, totally oblivious, just looked at me expectantly.

"I ... well, you've gotten to spend some time around Chi, right?"

Maybe it was just my imagination, but Dad's expression seemed to darken a bit at the mention of my fiancee's name. Mom just looked at me, a blank look on her face. "Yes, dear? What about her?"

I gave a swallow. "Well, we've been together ever since I moved to Tokyo. Even though I used to think that she was just, you know, a machine, she's proven over and over again that she's a real person. I mean, she's the nicest, most genuine girl I've ever met, and for a long time, she's told me that she has ... well, feelings for me."

"What--?" Mom exclaimed, her yes going wide. Dad didn't say anything, but his brow furrowed in a concerned, almost hostile expression.

Instead of answering them, I kept going, trying to get out the thing I had been holding in for the last several days. "And to be honest, ever since we met, I've always had feelings for Chi, too, but it wasn't until she told me that she felt the same way that I decided that I really did ... _love _her."

"Hideki, what are you saying?" asked Mom, now totally shocked.

"What I'm trying to say is, Chi and I are in love, and a couple of weeks ago I proposed to her. She said yes, so now we're officially engaged. I wanted to tell you in person, and to ask if you'd be willing to ... well, to give us your blessing, I guess, and if you wanted to come to the wedding."

Dead silence.

Chi's smile widened for a moment, and Aki looked about ready to jump out of his seat and start cheering. I just felt relieved that I'd managed to finally get everything out in the open.

Then Dad stood up. "Son, if this is supposed to be some sort of joke, it's not funny."

I shook my head. "Dad, I'm telling the truth. Chi isn't my computer - she's my fiancee."

Mom put a hand to her mouth, looking back and forth between Chi and me. Dad just stood there, frowning. "I should have seen this coming," he said quietly. "I should have figured out what was going on when I caught you hugging that damn thing after driving you to the house."

"Dad, Chi isn't just some 'thing'. She's --"

"I know damn well what it is!" he snapped. "I've seen its big brothers drive most of my friends and neighbors into bankruptcy, because some gutless wonder had the bright idea of using robots instead of farmhands. 'Hey, they don't need wages! Let's just fire all these men with families to feed, then replace 'em with the cheapest persocoms on the market!' They didn't give a damn about people, about their workers' feelings, or about all the independent farmers they'd drive out of business with their cheap crops - just what those machines could do for them."

Dad banged his fist on the table. "Damn it, Hideki, I thought I taught you better than that!"

"Aki, go to your room right now!" Mom said, clearly panicked. I couldn't blame her; Dad's face had gone beet-red, and he looked about ready to beat the tar out of somebody - in this case, me. Aki cast a look over at me, probably thinking that I might want him to help me out, but I nodded to let him know it was okay. I was grateful for Aki's acceptance, but this was one fight I'd have to win myself. Aki returned the nod, then headed for the stairs.

I looked beside me. "Chi, you'd better go, too. I've got to talk to my parents on my own."

Instead, Chi held me by the arm. "Chi wants to stay with Hideki," she said, quietly but firmly.

"Chi," I whispered, "I'm really grateful that you want to stay with me, but this looks pretty bad. I don't want you to get hurt - especially not your heart."

She shook her head. "Chi will be all right. Remember what Hideki said? That everything will get better after a while? No matter what other people say, Hideki says Chi is real, and Chi and Hideki love each other, and that's enough for Chi."

"I ... thanks, Chi." It struck me that, only two days earlier, Chi had been ready to call off our relationship because of her fears about being a persocom. But now, here she was, ready to face a very strong, very angry man nearly two feet taller than herself, to defend that same love. For maybe the hundred millionth time, I realized just how much love she really has for me - and how much courage it must have been taking to face my father's anger.

If I hadn't already loved Chi with all my heart, I would have given her the rest of it right then.

Unfortunately, Chi's bravery only seemed to make Dad even angrier than before. "So, this is why you spend so much time around it? Because it holds your hand and says cute words?" he said, walking around the table to our side so that he could shout past Chi to me. "Well, let me tell you something, son: that's called _programming_. I'm no computer repairman, but I can tell you that there are men who make a living by writing personalities for these things. They spend all day typing in commands - 'smile if he does, frown if he does, say this or that in a given situation' - to try and fool people into treating these things like human beings. It's damn slick marketing, but it's all just for show.

"Trust me, Hideki, that thing doesn't love you any more than a toaster oven can."

Chi physically jerked back at that, as though my father had slapped her across the face. In less than a minute, he had tapped directly into my fiancee's deepest, most painful insecurities, and I saw tears already forming in her eyes.

"Dad, how can you say that?" I cried. "You know Chi. Heck, she came out here to meet _you_! Think of every conversation we've had together, and just try telling me that she's not one of the most genuine, sweet, compassionate people you've ever met!"

"Yeah, I know 'Chi'. I know what it is, and no matter what it's been programmed to say, or how cute its manufacturer made it look, that doesn't change the fact that it isn't _real!_"

Chi's breathing stopped short for a moment as her tears finally began trickling down, and for the first time, I saw Chi begin sobbing.

I had only seen her cry once before. The night I finally worked up the nerve to tell Chi that I loved her, she nearly disappeared. When she realized that she wasn't human, and that there would always be things she couldn't do, she had hidden her personality so deep inside her own heart that her sister, Freya, had actually asked their mother to destroy them both, fearing that death would be kinder for Chi than making her live with the pain of heartbreak.

I'm grateful every day that Chi eventually decided to stay with me and deal with our issues. Just when I thought that Miss Hibiya had completely erased Chi forever, she had come back. She had just stood there for a while, tears quietly running down her cheeks. Then, after making her decision, she had run over to me and given me a wild, joyful hug.

This was different, though. Now, Chi's entire body was shaking, and her breath came in shallow, hitching gasps. Just looking at her, seeing Chi in such utter pain, I felt as though someone had just stabbed me in the heart, and was twisting the blade around inside. I could only imagine how much worse it must have been for Chi herself.

_Oh, Chi, I'm so sorry. I never should have let you get dragged into this._

Mom, apparently, had had enough, too. "Masao, stop it! I don't care what she is - can't you see you're hurting the poor girl?"

"'Poor girl'? Meifa, don't tell me you're buying into this act, too! It's just a machine - it's crying because it's been programmed to, not because it feels anything. And I don't care what it can do, or how human it can act; I am _not _going to let our son throw away his chances for marriage with someone who genuinely gives a damn about him!"

As he spoke, Chi managed to get her breathing more-or-less under control. Though her childlike frame was still trembing like a leaf, she managed to lift her face and make eye contact with my father. "Chi _does _care about Hideki. When Hideki is sad, Chi's heart aches because Chi cares. When Hideki smiles, Chi's heart jumps inside, because Chi cares about Hideki and wants Hideki to always be happy.

"Chi cares about Hideki because Hideki has never been anything but kind to Chi. Hideki carried Chi home from the trash by himself. Hideki taught Chi how to talk and how to do things, not just because he wanted Chi to do things to make him happy, but because Hideki wanted to help Chi get better. When other people treated Chi badly, Hideki always came to protect Chi, to bring Chi home safe so that Chi wouldn't be hurt.

"Being with Hideki makes Chi happy, more than anything else in the world. Chi feels happy when people smile at Chi, or when Chi learns new things, but being with Hideki makes Chi the happiest of all.

"Chi _loves _Hideki, because Hideki is the nicest person Chi has ever met in Chi's entire life, who cares for Chi for who Chi is, not just what Chi can do for him."

Still staring straight into Dad's eyes, Chi walked towards him, hands at her sides, her face set in pure determination.

"Chi knows Chi will never be human, and if it would make Hideki happy, Chi would break rather than make Hideki sad. But Hideki loves Chi, even if Chi is a persocom, and that is why Chi said yes when Hideki asked Chi to marry him. Chi wants Hideki to be happy forever, and Hideki says that being with Chi makes him happy, so Chi wants to stay with Hideki forever."

Chi stopped walking barely a foot from Dad. Her tears were still falling freely, and I could still see that she was shaking, but even so, she held her ground, looking right up into my father's eyes.

"Chi doesn't know if humans feel love differently - Chi isn't human, and never will be, no matter how much Chi wants it. But Chi's love is as real as it can be, and Chi's feelings are real enough to make Chi happy, or to break Chi's heart. Hideki says that that's enough, and that Hideki loves Chi, too."

And then, finally exhausted from an ordeal I'll probably never understand completely, Chi collapsed, holding onto my very startled father as she finally let go in one last, uncontrollable bout of gut-wrenching sobs.

_"So why isn't Chi real enough for _you_?"_

Before I knew it, I was on my knees, holding Chi as she clutched desperately at me, holding onto me like a life raft as her emotions - and her tears - came pouring out. In a few seconds, Mom came over, too, holding Chi and trying to calm her down while Dad just stood there, his mouth slack, as though he still wouldn't let himself understand what was happening.

Then he kneeled down, looking at me with a look of pure and total shock.

"I ... I had no idea ..."

I wanted to say something like, "How can you say that? She's been right here in front of you!", but as much as I felt like snapping at Dad, I knew that it wouldn't help Chi feel better - in fact, she probably would have felt even worse. Instead, we just sat there, staring at each other as Mom and I held Chi.

Finally, he put a hand on Chi's shoulder, feeling her shake as she kept crying into my chest.

"I'm ... sorry," he finally said, a single tear running down his rough, creased cheek.

Chi looked up for a moment, her amber eyes still glistening. There was no resentment in those eyes, no anger, just a depth of pain and sadness that would have crushed most other people.

Dad swallowed hard, as though he had a lump in his throat. "I'm sorry, son." Then he looked at Chi. "And ... I ... I'm sorry for being so hard on you, kiddo. I'm sorry for hurting your, well, feelings."

Chi looked up at him, seeming almost hopeful, despite the tears still trickling down her face. "Hideki's papa isn't angry with Chi? Hideki's papa doesn't ... hate Chi anymore?"

Dad took a deep breath, looked a bit nervously at me, than back at Chi. "I never thought I'd say this, but I guess I was being ... well, a bit of a bigot. I've never liked robots, and it never occurred to me that one of you would care about human beings if it wasn't burned into your circuit boards.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you honestly love my son, and if he's been happy being with you for four years ... well, how's an old fart like me supposed to argue with love?"

Almost instantly, Chi's eyes lit up with joy. Then, in a move that surprised everybody, Chi jumped up, out of my arms, twisted in midair, and landed with her arms around my father's neck. "Chiiii!" she cried happily.

"I - wha- whoa!" Dad toppled over backward, landing with a crash so hard it actually knocked over a couple of cups on the dinner table. Mom laughed, and I had to join in when I saw my father, the biggest, toughest, orneriest man I'd ever met in my life, pinned to the floor by a teenage-looking girl almost two feet shorter than he was, gaping open-mouthed as Chi just smiled down at him, all differences forgotten.

Then he smiled, reached up, and tousled her hair. "Huh," he said.

"You know, I think I see how my son's gotten used to this ..."

-----


	6. Stargazing

Chapter 6:

Stargazing

-----

Even now, I'm still amazed at how completely my relationship with my parents changed after that night - and, more importantly, how much their relationship with Chi improved.

Not that all our problems were solved overnight. The next morning, even though everybody had come to accept the idea that Chi was a real girl, Dad still pointed out that, being a persocom, she would never be able to have children; we'd never be able to raise a family of our own.

Then Mom said three words that knocked everyone else flat:

"What about adoption?"

Looking back, I should have thought of it a lot sooner. I mean, it's not as though Chi and I are the only infertile couple on the planet. Even if most adoption agencies wouldn't recognize Chi as a potential parent, we could always perform the adoption under my name, then raise our child together.

And, besides, there's always one other option ...

All it took was a look into my fiancee's eyes, and it was decided.

Someday - probably soon - we _will _have a child of our own.

-----

The rest of the week went by much too quickly. If I hadn't promised my boss that I'd be back at work on Monday, Chi and I would have probably spent the rest of the month at my parents' farm.

Aki, of course, was overjoyed that things had worked out so well with Chi and our parents. When we weren't helping Dad with the cows or doing other chores, I spent as much time with my little brother as I could. He even challenged us to a "championship" match on his new XBox. Though he only had two controllers, we discovered that Chi could plug herself right into the console - and that she's a lot better than me at videogames.

Meanwhile, Chi and I were having the time of our lives. I gave Chi her first driving lesson on Dad's old farm tractor, and we just rode around the barnyard, bumping over rocks and ruts and laughing like crazy.

Chi especially loved learning about all the different kinds of plants and animals; we don't have nearly as much wildlife back home in Tokyo. As Chi and I spent hours crouching down and talking about how people grow corn and wheat, I remembered our first trip to the beach when I was in prep school, when we would walk along the sands and Ms. Shimizu would tell Chi all about the different types of shells we found. Now, though, I was the one teaching Chi, and as always, she listened with eager eyes and a warm smile.

I think Mom had liked Chi from the beginning, but now that she knew that Chi was also her future daughter-in-law, it was as though she was finally able to drop some kind of barrier that had been between them, and for the rest of the week, when she wasn't busy hanging out with Aki or me, I sometimes caught sight of Chi and my mother sitting out on the porch swing, just sitting and talking. Sometimes, their conversations led to Mom asking some awkward questions at the dinner table, but I didn't mind. As long as Chi and Mom were enjoying themselves, I could weather a little parental prying.

Perhaps the most amazing thing, though, was just how completely my dad's opinion of Chi shifted after that one night. I could tell that he was still a little uncomfortable with the idea of his eldest son marrying a persocom, but he did his best to treat Chi as a person, and I could tell that he was working hard to make up for how he'd yelled at her on Wednesday. Not that Chi seemed to mind it much; as far as she was concerned, the fact that he'd finally acknowledged that she was real meant more to Chi than his initial dislike for her.

The night before Chi and I left for home, Dad asked me to come out on the porch with him. I kissed Chi and let her know that I'd be up to bed later, then followed my father out to the main house. We just stood there in a kind of awkward silence, with Dad looking up at the night sky.

Finally, he spoke. "You know," he said, "when I was your age, your grandpa and I would spend whole nights like this - just watching the stars and the moon moving across the sky. There used to be a lot more of them, you know. Back before they started building up all these big cities, you could see half the stars in the Milky Way, and your grandfather knew a lot of 'em like they were on a first-name basis. Nowadays, though, there's so much damn light pollution that you can barely even make out some of the constellations, let alone the softer, dimmer stuff."

We stood there for a while longer as he tried to get out what he wanted to tell me.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, doesn't it worry you? Don't get me wrong, now; it's good that you and Chi love each other. But what does that mean for the rest of us? It's just like the stars: yes, it's nice that we've got big cities where people can drive fast cars and buy whatever they need from some guy down the block, but we're losing the stars. There's trade-offs for everything.

"I mean, if persocoms can feel things like love and curiosity, what the hell _won't _they be able to do? Sooner or later, there'll be persocoms that can do everything humans can. Hell, some of 'em are already stronger or smarter than we are. What if, some time down the line, they're not just doing the work of farmhands? What if, someday, they'll be the ones running the grocery stores? Writing new stories? What if they're so perfect that humans would rather be with then than with each other?"

I shrugged. "You know, Dad, I've never been able to figure out an answer to that. Persocoms are designed to do a lot of things that humans can't; I'll never really understand what it feels like for Chi when she connects to other persocoms, or what it's like to be able to download information straight from the internet into your own head. She'll never get sick or grow old. And, now that they can think and feel the way we can, persocoms will be able to be just as creative as we are."

"But, like you said, there are trade-offs, even for persocoms. I'm not sure if Chi will ever know what it's like to taste one of the cookies she bakes. There are some things they can't do, and there are some thing we can't; it's just like how you're a lot stronger than I am, or how Mom can cook better than anyone else on the planet.

"Actually, I have a friend who's been married twice. His first wife was a persocom, but she was killed in a traffic accident."

"And, let me guess," Dad said, "the next day he went to the shop and bought another persocom?"

"Actually, no. He stayed single for a while after that, but eventually he married one of my co-workers. She's not a persocom; she can't read him his e-mail, and she's got just as many flaws as the next girl. But she's unique, and in the end, I think that's why they fell in love - because they each loved who the other was inside, not just what kind of capabilities the other person had."

Dad chuckled. "So, you're saying there's hope for us poor, human saps yet?"

I gave a shrug. "I guess so, yeah. It's not like persocoms are better than humans, or the other way around. We're just ... different. I didn't fall in love with Chi just because she's a persocom; I fell in love with her as a person. Even if she'd been born in a human body, I don't think I'd have been any less crazy about her than I am now."

"So, you aren't marrying her for her body?" said Dad teasingly.

"Of course not!" I exclaimed. "Although ... well, it doesn't hurt that she's good-looking, you know?"

"Of course not," Dad replied, giving me a hearty thump on the back. "My son, city-slicker or not, you're still a Motosuwa at heart."

"I ... thanks, Dad."

"Any time," he said, then walked back inside, leaving me to walk over to the guest house.

As I crossed the yard, I stopped to look at the stars one more time. It was hard to imagine that any more would have fit up there; compared to the sky over Tokyo, the one over my family's farm was chock-full of twinkling white lights. As I watched, a couple of them moved faster than the others; probably jets, or maybe even a few of the new space shuttles.

I smiled, then headed back to the guest house, where I knew Chi was probably waiting for me. _It really is too bad that you can't see quite as many as grandpa did_, I thought, _but maybe the trade-off is worth it, if we can make new, brighter ones for ourselves._

_And maybe, someday, we'll go out and visit all those old ones, too._

-----


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue:

One Month Later

-----

And so, here I stand at the altar, wearing the best tuxedo I could afford, sweating in the summer heat, trying not to start tapping my feet in panic.

Did I mention that I have a bad habit of getting stressed under pressure?

Actually, getting the ceremony together wasn't nearly as hard as I'd thought it would be. Our old friend Hiroyasu Ueda helped Chi and me find several chapels that perform wedding ceremonies between humans and persocoms. Apparently, it's becoming more and more common these days - not that there aren't about a hundred reporters sitting in the back pews, waiting to make our marriage into tonight's leading news story.

Shinbo and Takako helped us find a really good catering service in town, so the reception should be a night to remember. Chi and I even took a few dance classes to get ready, so hopefully, I won't turn our wedding night into a disaster by tripping onto the wedding cake.

Chi and her mother have also been busy picking out her bridal gown, but neither of them has told me a thing about it. Not that I'm really worried; Chi's so beautiful that she'd probably make a brown paper bag look good.

As I stand here waiting for Chi, I look around at all the people who've come. I guess I never really thought about just how many friends we have; there's Shimbo, our best man, and Takako, of course, and the Uedas, all up in the front row. Even Minoru and Yuzuki Kokobunji came out - another couple who are probably going to tie the knot as soon as Minoru's old enough. We also invited some of my classmates from college and a few of my new co-workers, along with some of Chi's customers-slash-friends from Tirol. Chi's mother, Miss Hibiya, is also sitting up front, wearing a strange kind of smile. As though she's keeping a secret ...

And, of course, there's my own family.

Dad managed to rent a pretty good tux, but even so, you can still practically smell the odor of hay and cow manure rolling off the guy.

Mom came wearing a red dress with white floral designs. At the moment, she's leaning up against Dad, and I feel like I could melt from the warm smiles the two of them are giving me.

Aki is here too, of course. Lately, I hear he's been talking about attending college when he's old enough, and Dad's actually being pretty supportive. I guess he's learned that, sometimes, you just have to let people follow their own hearts.

Suddenly, the organ starts up: the Bridal March.

I take a deep breath. _Okay, Motosuwa, this is it. Don't panic; you've rehearsed this enough times. There's nothing to worry about. Just smile - not that that's hard to do when Chi's around - and say the right words when the priest asks._

And here she comes ...

If it could, I think my jaw would be on the floor right now. The woman in the beautiful white wedding dress must be Chi - I would recognize those deep amber eyes, ankle-length golden hair, and pink-and-white persocom ears anywhere.

And yet ...

Chi is _different_.

She's taller, for one thing. As she walks up, I can see that she's just a few inches shorter than I am now, and it's not just the high-heeled shoes she's wearing. Her features are still the same as always, but somehow more ... mature, I guess. Her entire figure has changed, from the petite, childlike form she had when we first met to that of a full-figured, athletic young woman.

_Some things Chi knows that Mama can fix, especially if Chi and Hideki get married ..._

Oh my God ...

How did this happen? How did Chi go from the tiny, sixteen-year-old girl she was just this afternoon to a young woman who looks as old as I am?

I've always told Chi that I'm more than happy with her just the way she's always been. I didn't think Chi would want to have her body changed just to suit other peoples' ideals of beauty. And really, how can you improve on perfection?

Well, somehow, Chi and her mother found a way.

"Wedding dress", my tailored pants! So _that's _why they were spending so much time over at the "bridal shop" ...

Our eyes meet, and she smiles that same innocent, radiant smile she's always had. Whether she looks sixteen or twenty-three, that's the face of the Chi I fell in love with!

I can feel it as my face catches up with my heart, switching from shock to pure joy. _Chi, you did all of this for me ... ?_

Her pace quickens, and if she weren't wearing those heels and trailing a ton of white lace behind her, I have no doubt that she would fly right off off the chapel floor and wrap her arms around my neck. And, of course, I'd hug her right back, even before we say our vows.

I took Chi to be my wife a long time ago.

I'm just glad she doesn't mind being married to a clueless, awkward guy like me.

"I do."

Huh? What did she just say? GAAAHH! Chi just said her vow, and I was so distracted I barely noticed! And now the priest is asking me all these questions!

I can feel my heart hammering in my chest. Sweat pours down my face as I try to remember the words we've rehearsed so many times. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod...

Then I see the warm, knowing smile Chi is giving me. _Hideki, I know those eyes. Are you stressing again?_

I take a deep breath, then shrug, giving her a sheepish grin. _Sorry, Chi. I guess I still have a few things to work on._

What's that? Do I take this woman to be my lawfully wedded wife?

I look at Chi, the woman who has stayed by my side for four long years, through prep school, college, and so many crises you'd have to run a weekly anime series for two years just to show the highlights.

How could I not?

"I do."

-----

The Beginning

-----


End file.
